National Signing Day 2012: WR Patterson Chooses Tennessee over LSU and UGA

Cordarrelle Patterson, one of the nation’s top junior college players, has announced that he will be headed to Tennessee to play for Derek Dooley and the Volunteers, according to an ESPN.com report.

Patterson had narrowed his choices to Tennessee, Georgia and LSU but ultimately decided that Tennessee was his best option.

The move is somewhat puzzling but also understandable. Tennessee has a history of producing top NFL wide receiver talent, and playing alongside Justin Hunter will take the opponents’ top cover guys off of him.

He is obviously and understandably looking at this decision as one that gives him the best route to the NFL rather than one that gives him a chance to win a national championship.

As a JUCO transfer, he doesn’t have enough time to wait for Tennessee to build its program, and LSU would have given him an opportunity to compete for it all, but I’ll give this kid credit for thinking long-term and making the best decision for his eventual success in the NFL.

Tennessee has also signed three other 4-star wide receivers to its 2012 class—Drae Bowles, Alton Howard and Jason Croom, a 6’5”, 220-pound monster—who will give the Volunteers one of the deepest wide receiver rosters in the nation.

Dooley is definitely making a statement, and the signing of Patterson will probably boost his 2012 class into the top 10 before the end of the day.